Thermochemical cycles show that deprotonation of alkane radical cations is an exothermic process, and indeed photoinduced SET between several alkanes and 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene (TCB) is followed by efficient deprotonation of the radical cation with tertiary > secondary > primary selectivity; the alkyl radical is trapped by TCB˙– or, when present, by oxygen; when tetrachloro-p-benzoquinone is used in the place of TCB, the radical is further oxidized to the cation.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Mella et al. (1995) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: